Truss-brace for railway-cars



(No Model;) 2 S11eets-Sheet l. E. PEOKHAM. TRUSS BRAOE FOR RAILWAY CARS.

No. 595,784. Patented-Dec. 21,1897.

NITED STATES PATENT FFTCEQ TRUSS-BRACE FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,784, dated December 21, 1897.

Application filed March 24,1896. Serial No. 584,590. (No model.)

To an whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ED GAR PECKHAM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Kingston, Ulster county, State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Truss Braces for Railway-Oars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to truss-braces intended more especially for cars used on streetrailways.

The object of the invention is to provide improved and efficient means to support the ends of car-bodies which extend beyond the ends of the truck-frame. I make'use of a diagonal brace at each of the four corners of the car-body, said braces being connected to the extended car-body and supported at their inner ends on the truck-frame by vertical bracing-supports and in such manner that in the movements of the car-body on the truck the braces will not lengthen or shorten.

The invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings, in the several views of which the same parts are indicated by the same numerals, and in which drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of one end of a car-truck having my invention appliedthereto. Fig. 2 is a detail, partly in section, of the connection between the diagonal brace and the truck-frame. Fig. 3 is a plan view of Fig. 2. Fig. 4c shows details of the bracket against which the roller ofthe brace mechanism operates. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one end of a truck, showing the brace mechanism, somewhat modified, connected to the truckframe at its extreme end; and Fig. 6 is a plan View of the .casting connecting the diagonal and vertical members of the brace together.

'In the drawings, 7 is the upper longitudinal beam, and 8 the lower bracing-beam, located between and riveted to the yokes 9. To the outer side of the yoke there is riveted an extended end beam 10, which'snpports springs which are connected to the longitudinal chord or sill 11, as shown. The end beam 10 is supported by the under truss-beam 12, connected at one end to the beam 10 and at the other end to the bottom of the yoke. The wheels of the truck are indicated by 13 and the axleboxes by 14. The construction of truck thus generally described has been manufactured by me and equipped with my bracing appliances; but the latter are equally applicable to other forms of truck structures.

The vertical bracing-support is indicated at 14. It may be a check-post of the truck or an independent bolt, and it is connected at its upper end to the car-sill 11 and moves with the car-body. The support 1% moves independently of the truck-frame and extends, as shown, beneath the end beam 10. Between said end beam and the car-sill 11 a spiral spring 15 surrounds support 14 the upper end of said spring being confined by a collar 16, connected to the sill, and its lower end restingin a bracket 17, riveted to the end beam 10 and extending below said end beam to receive and confine the upper end of a tensionspring 18, surrounding the support 14 beneath said end beam, as shown.

, The numeral 19 indicates a casting provided with a vertical central opening to receive the lower end of the bolt or bracing-support 14, which is confined in said casting by a nut 20. The upper external surface of casting 19 is provided with spiral grooves 21 to receive the lower portion of spiral spring 18 and thereby hold it against displacement. At one side of casting 19 there is provided a semispherical socket 22, (see Fig. 2,) adapted to receive the socket-piece 23, whose end is rounded to conform to the socket, but of such dimensions as to permit play between the parts, as in a ball-and-socket joint. The opposite end of the socket-piece 23 is cylindrical and is adapted to fit within the lower end of the tubular diagonally-arranged brace 25. The upper outer end of brace 25 is connected to bracket 26, which is fixed near the outer end of the car-sill or car-body. The ball-and-socket joint between the lower end of the diagonal brace 25 and the casting 19, carried by the bottom of the vertical bracing-support 14 permits that end of said brace to conform to the movement of casting 19 as it rises and falls with the vibrations of the car-body. The casting 19 is also provided with the divided extension 27, adapted to receive a roller 28, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, or a journal 29, as shown in Fig. 5. When roller 28 is made use of,there is riveted to the truck-frame a bracket 30, the form of which is best indicated in Fig.

4 and which is provided with a grooved vertical edge 30, within which the roller 28 is adapted to travel. It will be seen that the roller 28, being fixed to the casting 19, changes its position with reference to the bracket 30 as the casting 19 descends or ascends with the vibrations of the car-body. The relative relations of the roller and the lower end of the diagonal brace are therefore not altered in any movement of the car-body on the truck. The tension spring 18 checks the upward thrust of the vertical bracing-support or bolt 14. in the same manner in which the spring 15 checks the downward thrust.

In Figs. 5 and G the divided extension 27 of casting 19 receives the journal 29, to which is connected a supporting-bar 31, the opposite end of which is connected to journal 32, supported in bracket 33, which is riveted to the truck-frame nearto the lower end of the yoke 9. In this embodiment of my invention the lower end of the diagonal brace25, socketed, as explained, readily conforms to the comparatively slight movement of the casting 19 in the vibrations of the car-bod y, and the hinged connections 29 and 32, between the casting, bracket, and supporting-bar 31, prevent any binding of the parts in operation.

In either embodiment of the invention the support for the lower end of the diagonal brace and the opposite side of the casting.

maintain their relative positions without lengthening or shortening the diagonal brace 25 or throwing out of a perpendicular line the vertical bracing-support or bolt 14.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a brace for cars, the combination with the truck-frame, a diagonal brace attached at one end to the car-body and a verticalbracing-support secured at one end to the carbody, of a casting fixed to the lower end of said vertical support, aball-and-socketjoint connecting the lower end of said diagonal brace and casting together and a bearingbetween said casting and the truck-frame, substantially as set forth.

2. The casting 19 provided with a vertical opening, spiral grooves on its external surface and a socket at one side, and having at its opposite side a divided extension, substantially as set forth.

3. In a bracing for cars, the combination with a truck-frame and a diagonal brace attached to the car-body, of a vertical bracingsupport secured at one end to the car body or sill, a casting attached to the bottom of said vertical bracing-support and connected at one side to said diagonal brace, and a movable bearing between said casting and the truckframe and journaled in said casting.

4. In a bracing for cars the combination with a truck-frame and a diagonal brace attached to the car-body, of a vertical bracingsupport secured at one end to the car bodyor sill, a casting attached to the lower end of said vertical bracing-support and connected at one side to the lower end of saiddiagonal brace by a ball-and-socket joint, an da movable bearing between said casting and the truck-frame and connected to said casting, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a truck-frame and a brace attached to the car-body, of a roller journaled in the brace and bearing against the truck-frame, substantially as set forth.

6. In a bracing for cars, the combination with a truck-frame and vertical and diagonal bracing members attached to the car body or sill and joined together at their lower ends,

of a roller journaled in a bracket fixed at the juncture of said bracing members and a bracket secured to the truck-frame and fur- ;nishing a bearing-surface for said journaled lroller, substantially as set forth.

7. In a bracing for cars, the'combination with a truck-frame and vertical and diagonal bracing members attachedto the car body or sill and connected together at their lower ends, of a roller provided at the juncture of said bracing members and a bracket secured to the truck-frame and grooved to receive said roller, substantially as set forth.

8. In abracing for cars, the combination with a truck-frame and vertical and diagonal bracing members attached to the car body ;or sill and connected together at their lower ends,of a revoluble bearing between the j uncture of said bracing members and the truckframe and a "tension-spring surrounding the lower end of said vertical bracing member, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination with a truck-fran1e and a diagonalbrace attached to the car-body, of a vertical bracing-support secured at one end to the car body or sill, a casting attached to the lower end of said vertical. bracing member and connected at one side to the lower endof said diagonal brace, a bearing between the opposite side of said casting and the truck-frame and a tension-spring surrounding said vertical bracing-support between said casting and truck-frame, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination with a truck-frame and a diagonal brace attached to the car-body,

of a vertical bracing-support secured at one.

end to the car body or sill, a casting attached 11. The combination, in a car-brace, of vertical member 14 attached to the car-sill, diagonal member 25 attached at one end to the car-sill, casting 19 connecting the bottoms of said vertical and diagonal members, the said casting provided with a roller as28, and a bracket as 30 provided with a vertical groove of the diagonal member, substantiallykts set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county and State of New York, this 20th day of March, 1896.

EDGAR PEOKHAM.

Witnesses J. E. M. BOWEN, M. O. PINOKNEY. 

